Blind
by Aprotny
Summary: When Ash loses his sight in a pokemon-related accident, he loses all hope of ever being able to battle again. However, when Riley shows up in Pallet Town, he gets an idea. Will Ash ever be able to battle again? Who are Team Eclipse? I do not own Pokemon.
1. The Accident

"Pikachu! Electro ball!" Ash called.

"Pawniard! Use Metal Claw!" Ash's opponent, Julia, responded.

"Pikachu! Quick! Dodge!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu dodged, but Pawniard was already on the attack, accidently hitting Ash in the face instead.

Don George quickly blew a whistle as Julia and Ash's friends, Iris and Cilan, raced to the Ash's side of the battle field.

"Ash! Are you okay?" Iris called.

"Pawniard and I are so sorry! Please forgive us!" Julia cried.

Ash was holding a hand to his face, tears of pain crawling out of his eyes.

"We need to get him to the pokemon center. They can help him there." Don George said.

To Iris and Cilan's surprise, Ash was willing to go to the pokemon center even though he hadn't finished the battle, which was totally unlike him. However, he refused to take his hand off his face, and Iris had to lead him to the pokemon center by touch.

Nurse Joy was quick to lead Ash in back and give him a complete check-up while Iris, Cilan, Don George, and Julia waited in the lobby. It seemed to be forever before Nurse Joy led Ash back out front. Iris, Cilan, Don George, and Julia caught the end of what seemed to be a very upsetting conversation, because Ash was crying harder.

"-might gain it back slowly, but you're just going to have to deal with it for now." Nurse Joy was saying.

"How is he, Nurse Joy?" Julia asked anxiously. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's going to live, if that's what you mean." Nurse Joy replied. She turned to Ash. "Would you like to be the one to tell them?" Ash shook his head as Pikachu jumped into his arms. Nurse Joy turned back to the Iris, Cilan, Don George, and Julia. "Ash has lost his vision. I'm not sure if it will come back or not, but it might be best if he returns to his hometown instead of travelling until he finds a way to be able to get around by himself."

The group was horrified.

"I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!" Julia gasped. She started begging Ash to forgive her, but was completely ignored by the boy, who was wallowing in his own self-misery.

After a little while, Cilan offered to call Professor Juniper and tell her about it. Ash responded that he didn't care.

Soon, arrangements had been made. Professor Juniper was coming to pick him up and take him to the airport, where the flight attendants would help him until the plane arrived in Pallet Town. His mother would be waiting for him at the Pallet Town airport.

Iris and Cilan were very upset about having to say goodbye to Ash, but not as upset as Ash was about saying goodbye to them.

"We'll visit. We promise." Iris said.

"Yeah." Cilan put in. "And when we do, I'll make you a fantastic meal. I can do that now too if it'll make you feel better."

Ash sighed. "You guys are great friends, but nothing you do can make me feel any better about this."

Iris and Cilan hugged him and then Professor Juniper helped him over to the car and buckled him in.

"It's going to be a long ride." She told him. "Get some sleep. It'll make you feel a little better."

Ash sighed and then nodded off to sleep.


	2. Brock's Promise

**Months later…**

The doorbell rang at Ash's house. Sitting on the couch, listening to the television, he gave no effort to answer it.

"I'll get it!" His mother, Delia, called. Ash heard her walk to the front door and open it. "Brock! What a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Pikachu, I want to go upstairs." Ash whispered, not wanting Brock to see him like this. Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and touched his right cheek, signaling that the stairs were to Ash's right. This was a system they'd worked out to help Ash get around without hurting himself.

"I got a break from my studies and heard that Ash was home." He heard Brock say. "So I came here after visiting my family. Is Ash still here? Or did he already leave on another journey?" At these words, a tear crept down Ash's cheek.

"Don't mention that around Ash, okay? Don't mention battling at all." He heard his mother tell his friend. "He's not able to do it right now and he's very upset about it. Um… I'll go get him."

Ash went the rest of the way to his room with Pikachu's help and sat down on his bed. Delia came in a few moments later.

"Brock's here to see you." She told him. "Come on. I'll help you downstairs."

"I don't to be with him right now." Ash said. "He shouldn't have come."

"Ash, that's mean. He's your friend and you haven't been with any of your friends since the accident. You haven't even gone to hang out with Professor Oak or Tracey since you got here." Delia scolded. "Now you're going to come downstairs and hang out with Brock whether you like it or not. I'll drag you if I have to."

Ash sighed and stood up. "Downstairs please, Pikachu."

Pikachu guided him downstairs, where Brock was waiting.

"Hey, Ash! How've you been?" Brock asked cheerfully. "Enjoying your time with your Mom?"

Ash started backing towards the stairs that he knew were behind him. "Sure, Brock. Um… I forgot something upstairs. I…"

"Ash Ketchum! You'd better stay down here or else!" Delia snapped. "I'm sorry, Brock. He hasn't been the same since he got back from Unova."

"Unova? I hear there are a lot of interesting pokemon there! Did you catch any?" Brock asked.

"Uh-huh." Ash replied.

Brock frowned at the short answer. "Why don't you tell me about them? Or, better yet, why don't you introduce me to them? I'd sure love to meet them."

"Okay." Ash shrugged. "Pikachu, let's go to Professor Oak's."

"Pika!" Pikachu was excited. He hadn't seen any other pokemon except Mr. Mime in weeks and was glad that they were going to visit the corral. He was so excited, he forgot about his job.

"Pikachu?" Ash was confused why Pikachu wasn't giving him hints as to where to go.

"What are you waiting for Pikachu for, Ash? He's on your shoulder. You're the one that's supposed to walk." Brock was confused as to why Ash wasn't coming.

Pikachu finally remembered what he was supposed to be doing and touched the back of Ash's neck.

Ash nodded and walked forward. Brock smiled and led the way, still confused though.

They reached Professor Oak's house and Brock knocked.

Tracey answered the door. "Hi Brock! It's nice to see you!" He noticed Ash a little behind Brock. "Thanks for getting Ash over here. He's been moping around his house ever since he got back to Pallet Town."

"Why were you doing that, Ash? It's not like you." Brock asked.

"I had a reason." Ash mumbled sulkily.

"Sure, but your pokemon haven't been very happy about it. They knew you were avoiding them." Tracey said, stepping outside and taking Ash's wrist. "Come in. We'll cut through the house to get to the gardens. Professor Oak! It's Ash and Brock!"

Professor Oak immediately came down the stairs. "Brock, what a nice surprise. Ash, what on earth have you been doing these past few months that you couldn't come and be with your pokemon? They've been worried sick because you haven't come back! You basically left them without saying goodbye!"

Ash turned his head towards the ground and spoke to his feet. "Tell them I'm sorry. Tracey, could you introduce Brock to my Unova pokemon?"

Tracey, Professor Oak, and Brock stared.

"Do it yourself, Ash! Your pokemon _need_ to see you!" Tracey snapped at him.

"How am I supposed to find them?" Ash replied. "I don't know where they are."

"Stand outside and they'll surely come running." Professor Oak said. "They'll know that you're here. Trust me, they will."

Ash obviously didn't want to go do that, but he sighed and instructed Pikachu to take him outside, confusing Brock even more.

As Professor Oak had predicted, Ash's pokemon came to meet him almost the moment he stepped outside.

He sat down by a tree and let them surround him. "Oshowatt, Unfezant, Tepig, Scraggy, Boldore, Snivy, Palpitoad, Krokorok, and Swadloon, meet my friend Brock. He travelled with me through several regions before deciding to become a pokemon doctor." The Unova pokemon all greeted Brock with their various pokemon calls and then turned back to Ash, who had started crying. He got up and ran off, being stopped by Bayleef just before he ran into a low-hanging branch. He reached out and felt it before mumbling his thanks to Bayleef.

"Ash, why are you running away? Can't you see that your pokemon really want to be with you right now?" Brock questioned. At the word 'see', Ash started crying harder. "Ash, please tell me what's wrong. I just want to help you. You see…"

"No! I don't see! That's the problem!" Ash blurted out. He fell to his knees. "I… I can't see…"

Brock gasped. "Oh, Ash! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize… Is there anything I can do to…"

"Just go away!" Ash shouted. "I don't want to be around anyone right now! Mom's the one who made me come down to be with you in the first place!"

The pokemon surrounded Ash again, wanting to ease his pain, but nothing could make him feel better; he was too upset.

Brock remembered what Professor Oak had said about Ash having been in Pallet Town for months. The loss of vision must have hit him really hard and, remembering what Delia had said about Ash not being able to battle anymore, he could understand why. Ash loved battling more than anything. The thought of not being able to do it must've broken his heart.

"Ash, don't worry. We'll find a way for you to be able to see again, even if it's not with your eyes." Brock said, hugging the younger boy. "I promise."

Ash seemed a little comforted by this and let up a little on the crying, but didn't stop completely. He wouldn't be completely satisfied until Brock's promise was fulfilled.


	3. Riley's Arrival

**A couple of weeks later…**

"Are you sure, Ash? I'll stay if you want me to. I can understand if…" Brock began.

"No, Brock. It's best if you continue your studies. You can still be what you want to be, even if I can't." The last part Ash said in a whisper.

Brock hugged him. "I'll come back on my next break. I promise."

"Bye." Ash said, waving in the wrong direction.

Brock sweat dropped. "Goodbye, Ash. Take care. I'll see you soon." He released the younger boy and headed out.

"Goodbye, Brock." Ash murmured as the door shut behind his friend. "Come back soon."

**Later that day…**

Ash sat in the garden outside the house, listening to Pikachu running about the yard.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried. Ash realized he was telling him someone was coming.

"Oh, hello, Ash." Ash recognized Riley's voice. "I didn't expect to see you in a small town such as Pallet. I thought you'd be out collecting badges."

"Pallet Town's my hometown. This is my house." Ash told him, trying to ignore the part about collecting badges. "I didn't think I'd see you here, though. Why are you in Pallet Town?"

"I'm delivering a package to Professor Oak. Carolina didn't trust the mailman to do it." Riley answered. "But I'm lost. Do you think you could help me? I mean, if you live here, you surely know the way there."

Ash nodded. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Riley, you're studying to be an Aura Guardian, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Do you know how to see with aura?"

Riley was surprised at the question that had seemed to come out of nowhere. "I'm still trying to figure that out. Why?"

"Oh." Ash said with obvious disappointment.

"Are you trying to figure out how to do that, Ash?" Riley realized.

"I just thought of it now, but I'm going to do everything I can to learn how." Ash answered.

Riley thought for a moment. "You're going to have to know at least the basics of aura in order to do that. Tell you what, why don't I teach you?"

"You'd really do that for me?" Ash gasped.

"Sure. I know you're a good kid. Can you help me deliver this package first? I really need to get that out of the way." Riley said.

Ash smiled for the first time since the accident. "Of course! Follow me!" He turned and then stopped. "Pikachu! Mom! We're going to Professor Oak's!"

"Be back in time for Dinner! I'll call Professor Oak and get him to send you back!" Delia called.

Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and they set off. On the way, Riley noticed that Pikachu seemed to be guiding Ash. He wondered why for a few moments. Then, it suddenly came to him. The reason Ash had asked for his help, why Ash wasn't out collecting badges, why Pikachu was guiding the boy…

"Ash… have you been blinded?" Riley ventured, knowing that, if it were true, it was probably a touchy subject.

Ash gulped, but kept walking. "Yes. That's why I need to learn to see with aura. I can't see any other way. Don't tell anyone I don't though. I want it to be a surprise."

"I understand." Riley said. "I won't tell, but we're going to need to have a place to meet."

"Professor Oak will let us use the gardens. I know he'll do anything to help me get back out there." Ash told him as they came to Professor Oak's house. The boy felt the door before knocking.

"Hello, Ash." Professor Oak said, relieved to see Ash had come to the house willingly even though Brock had left earlier. He noticed Riley. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Riley. He got lost while delivering a package from Carolina, so Pikachu and I showed him the way here." Ash explained.

Riley took the package from his bag with a smile. "Here you go, Professor Oak. Carolina sends her best regards. Say, do you mind if I use your phone? I've decided to stay in Pallet Town for a little while and want to let Carolina know that."

"No, I don't mind. Come in." Professor Oak said, confused as to why Riley was staying. He showed him where the phone was.

While Riley made his call, Ash decided to take the time to request the use of the gardens.

"Of course." Professor Oak agreed immediately after Ash explained. "If it'll help make you happy again, you can use the gardens as much as you want."

Ash smiled. "Thank you, Professor Oak. I really appreciate it."

"Oh no! Ash is smiling! Everyone take cover!" Tracey came into the living room and ruffled Ash's hair. "It's good to see that grin of yours again."

Ash blushed. "Tracey!"

"Riley, this is my assistant, Tracey." Professor Oak introduced. "Tracey, this is Riley."

"It's nice to meet you!" Tracey said cheerily. "Welcome to Pallet Town!"

Riley smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you too. Ash was just going to show me around the gardens. I'd love to meet all the pokemon."

"If I didn't still have chores, I'd come along, but I do, so I can't." Tracey said.

"That's okay." Riley said. "I'm sure Ash can handle it."

"Okay. See you later." Tracey went off to do some chore of his.

"Good luck with your project." Professor Oak said. "I hope it works, but Ash, don't get your hopes up too much. There's still a chance you won't succeed."

"Well, I won't give up until I do." Ash replied stubbornly.

"It might take a while though, Ash." Riley told him. "So you're going to need to be patient."

"I will be." Ash said. "But enough said! Let's go get started!"

He ran towards the door, but didn't feel Pikachu touching his cheek and banged into a wall.

Professor Oak sighed. "Scratch hoping it works; we _need_ it to work. I can't stand seeing him like this."

"I'm okay!" Ash called over his shoulder, getting up and listening to Pikachu's guidance this time.

"I'll do what I can for him. I promise." Riley followed Ash out the door so that they could get started on training.


	4. Training Part 1

"To start with, you need to learn to control your aura." Riley began the lesson. "Try making a small ball of aura in your hand."

Ash easily made a ball of aura. "Am I doing it?"

"For someone who can't see, you're a pretty fast learner." Riley praised. "Now, let's try making it bigger."

Ash slowly made his ball bigger, a couple of beads of sweat appearing on his face from the effort.

"Good. This time, make it smaller." Riley instructed.

Ash struggled to make the ball smaller, but ended up shooting it into a tree, disturbing some Ratatta that were nested there.

"What did I do?" Ash asked.

"You hit a tree." Riley told him.

"Oops." Ash mumbled. "Now what?"

"Keep trying. Practice makes perfect." Riley encouraged.

An hour and twenty trees later, Ash finally managed to get the ball to the size of a grape.

"Nice job, Ash." Riley said. "We're going to try moving it from hand to hand now, okay? Make it a little bigger and put it in one hand."

Ash failed to do this, accidently hitting Riley's Lucario, who was dozing nearby.

Riley laughed at the aura pokemon's face. "Sorry, Lucario. He's a beginner."

"Cario!" Lucario murmured angrily.

"Are you saying I hit Lucario?" Ash asked uneasily.

"It's okay. You'll get the hang of it eventually." Riley said.

"I'm sorry, Lucario. I didn't mean to." Ash said.

"Ash!" They heard Tracey call. "Your mom wants you home! It's almost time for dinner!"

"Coming!" Ash called back. "Thank you, Riley. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"How's ten o'clock for you?" Riley asked.

"That's fine." Ash said. "Although I can't exactly look at a clock, I can ask for the time."

"You did great today. Go home and get some rest." Riley said. "Bye."

**The next day at ten o'clock…**

"Good morning, Ash. How are you doing today?" Riley greeted.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you. I'm ready for another day's work." Ash replied.

Riley grinned. "That's the spirit! I've decided that before going for enhancing your vision, we should try increasing your hearing. It will make it easier."

Ash shrugged. "Whatever you say. How are we going to do that?"

"Lucario's going to stand behind some targets. You're going to try to hit the targets by listening to his voice." Riley explained. "It will help increase your hearing _and_ your aura control. Two Starlys with one stone. Ready?" Ash nodded and formed an aura sphere. "Okay, Lucario, he's ready!"

"Car! Cario! Lucario!" Lucario called. Ash's first aura sphere veered a little to the right, missing. "Car! Cario!"

"Keep trying, Ash! That was close!" Riley encouraged.

Ash nodded again and threw another aura sphere, this time hitting the side of the target.

"Car! Cario!" Lucario continued. Ash's third aura sphere hit right in the center of the target.

"Good! We're moving on to the next target, okay?" Riley told the boy.

"Okay!" Ash said. "Does that mean I hit the first one?"

"Yes. Now, keep it up." Riley replied.

Soon, Ash was hitting every target successfully. Breathing hard from the effort of forming all those aura spheres and throwing them at targets he couldn't see, he fell to his knees.

Noticing this, Riley suggested they take a break and pulled out a couple of sandwiches that Tracey, who only knew they were working on some sort of project, had made for them. He put one in Ash's hands and ate the other himself.

Ash nibbled on the sandwich. "Riley, do you think I'm ever going to be able to see again?"

"There's no saying. If we succeed in figuring out how to see with aura, you'll be able to see part of the time, but not all the time. Using aura takes effort, so you can't use it every minute of every day." Riley said. "But, if we do succeed, that means you'll be able to battle again. You'll need help while travelling, but can use your aura when you need it."

Ash nibbled on his sandwich some more. "Brock promised we'd find a way for me to be able to see again, even if it wasn't with my eyes."

"You're going to have to hold Brock to his word, Ash." Riley said. "I'm sure he won't stop until he finds some way to help you."

Ash smiled lightly. "You think so?"

"I know so." Riley smiled back. "Now finish your sandwich. We've got some more work to do."

The rest of the day was spent practicing using hearing to aim.


	5. Training Part 2

**Two weeks later…**

"So, are you ready to learn some psychic skills?" Riley asked.

Ash broke into a grin, knowing this would help him towards his final goal, and nodded eagerly. "You bet I am!"

"Sit down then. We'll start by clearing our minds." Riley said. The two sat down across from each other. "Take deep breaths. Count to ten. Anything that calms down your mind."

Ash nodded and obeyed. Soon, both were ready to begin the major stuff.

Riley guided Ash's hand to rest on Pikachu's head. "Okay, Ash. You're going to try to read Pikachu's mind using your aura."

Ash frowned. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"I can only instruct you in what the exercise is, not how to do it. That's for you to figure out on your own." Riley said. "Just like how nobody taught you how to battle with pokemon. They told you the rules, but not how to do it. Do you get it? Now focus on the exercise. Look into Pikachu's mind. It should come to you in scenes and images."

Ash nodded in understanding and reached out to Pikachu with his mind. It was difficult, but he eventually began to see images of himself and a Riolu he'd once met that had a matching aura to his.

"You're thinking about when I met that Riolu, Pikachu?" Ash asked, wondering if he was correct.

"Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly.

"Good job, Ash." Riley praised. "Now try it with me. I'll think of something and you try and figure out what it is." He took Ash's hand in his and smiled at the boy, although he knew Ash couldn't see it.

A few minutes passed before Ash figured it out. "You're wondering what Tracey packed us for lunch."

Riley blushed. "I _meant_ to think about something else, but yes, that did pop into my head."

Ash grinned. "What time is it anyways? Is it time for lunch?"

Riley looked at his watch. "Yes, it is."

"Then let's eat!" Ash said.

"Okay, Ash. I guess it's time to take a break anyways." Riley agreed. He reached into a picnic basket and brought out two sandwiches, handing one to Ash and eating the other himself. "You know, you're making great progress on your aura skills. Keep practicing and it won't be too much longer before we succeed in our goal." Ash smiled and kept eating. "I mean it, Ash. You've really taken control of the situation. If you hadn't stopped mourning the loss of your sight, we might never have come up with this solution."

"Thank you, Riley. I really appreciate it." Ash said.

Riley ruffled his hair. "Like I said, it was all you taking the matter into your own hands."

Ash finished up his sandwich and they began again.

"This time, try to read Pikachu's mind without touching him." Riley instructed, moving Ash's hand to touch Pikachu and then moving it back a little. "It'll be a bit more difficult, but I know you can do it."

Ash nodded and focused on Pikachu. Soon, he was reading minds with almost no effort at all. All he had to do was think of the person he wanted to read the mind of and he could see images displaying their thoughts. It was a big relief compared to the darkness that had been the only thing he could see over the past couple of months.

He went home that night with a smile on his face.


	6. Enter Team Eclipse!

**If you've read my other stories, you should've known this chapter was coming. The criminals come in here! Yay!**

**Two Months Later…**

Ash hummed to himself as he walked home. He and Riley had ended on a happy note that day and he was looking forward to reading his mother's thoughts without her knowing… again.

"There he is." A voice whispered.

Ash stopped. "Pikachu, did you hear that?"

Pikachu growled and hopped off Ash's shoulder.

"Pikachu, who is it?" Ash asked, wondering what was going on.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his torso and a hand slapped over his mouth. Ash struggled like mad. A thunderbolt hit him and his captor, causing his captor to let go.

Ash stumbled away and started running.

"After him!" Someone yelled.

Ash ran faster. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and slapped his left cheek. Ash went left and scarcely missed a tree.

"Get back here, boy!" Another voice shouted.

Ash hit the person with an aura sphere using his hearing.

"Pika…" Pikachu said worriedly, making it obvious to Ash that they were catching up.

To make things worse, a low branch appearing out of nowhere and Ash hit his head on it, causing him to fall to the ground.

He quickly jumped up. "Pikachu! Which way is home?"

Pikachu leaped back onto his shoulder and touched his right cheek, but the yellow pokemon was yanked off the boy's shoulder before they could start in that direction.

"Pikachu! Where are you?" Ash panicked, knowing he was doomed to be kidnapped.

"So… Riley picked a blind boy for an apprentice…" The second person, probably the leader, said. "Interesting…"

Ash could tell they were circling him, but didn't know what to do. "Leave Pikachu alone!"

"It's not your Pikachu we want, boy." The leader cackled. "No, your Pikachu will be left behind. You, however, have no choice but to come with us."

Ash clenched his fists. "Forget it!"

The leader cackled again. "Just try and stop us!"

Then, some people started grabbing at Ash.

Desperate to get away, the boy started firing aura spheres left and right.

It was a futile attempt. The people kept it up until Ash fell to his knees, exhausted.

"Knock him out." The leader ordered.

"No!" Ash shouted. "NO!"

It was like turning on a light in a pitch-black room. Suddenly, Ash could see everything around him, except it was all blue, black, and white. He could see there were about eight people who'd been participating in the attack, including the leader. Pikachu was being kept in a cage to his left.

The sudden sight didn't help though. Seconds later, the kidnappers knocked him out.

**Later…**

Professor Oak answered the door to an out-of-breath Delia. Pikachu was in her arms and she looked panicked.

"What happened?" Professor Oak asked, dreading the answer. He could feel Riley and Tracey behind him.

"Ash is gone! I think someone kidnapped him! I found Pikachu in a cage in the forest when he never came home for dinner!" Delia said all in one breath.

The three males were shocked. Ash? Kidnapped? Who would do such a thing?

Just then, a messenger Pidgey flew past Delia into the house and dropped a letter into Riley's hands.

The man immediately tore open the envelope, somehow knowing it had to do with Ash's disappearance.

"What's it say?" Tracey asked.

"The first words are 'Do not read out loud. Read privately. Or else.'" Riley told him. "I don't think it's a good idea to disobey."

"Who are you?" Delia asked, having never met Riley before.

"The name's Riley." Riley told her. "I've been working with Ash on something for the past few months, but that doesn't matter right now. This letter needs to be read privately. I'll be right back."

Riley went into the other room and read the letter to himself.

_Dearest Riley,_

_We suggest you read this whole letter through before rejecting it. We would like to offer you a work opportunity. Once you join us, you'll be able to use your aura to help us take over the world. We knew you wouldn't join us willingly so, as you may have realized by now, we've taken your little apprentice. Refuse and he dies. Meet us at the warehouse outside of Pallet Town two days from now at 8 o'clock sharp. Come alone. If you don't, the boy dies. Enjoy your last couple of days of freedom, Riley._

_-Team Eclipse_

Riley's hands were trembling as he finished the letter. Whoever Team Eclipse was, they weren't giving him a choice. He had to surrender himself. Or Ash would pay the price.


	7. Commence Operation Torture!

Ash woke up on a hard surface. Wondering where he was, he sat up. Slowly, the events that had happened to get him wherever he was came back to him. He'd been kidnapped and… he'd learned how to see with aura.

Knowing he had nothing better to do, the boy tried to repeat what he'd done just before he was knocked out. It took some time, but, finally, he began to see some blurs coming towards him.

"Awake, boy?" A voice that he recognized as the leader from his capture said. "Good. We have some questions for you."

Ash was silent, not caring what they wanted from him.

"First off, we would simply like your name." The leader continued. When Ash didn't answer, he added. "You'd better answer, or you're going to regret it."

Ash still didn't answer, earning himself a slap across the face. The leader grabbed him by the cuff of the shirt and slapped him again.

"It was a simple question! All you need to tell us is your name, you defiant little brat!" The leader screamed at him, punching him in the nose.

"Ash." Ash whispered.

"What's that, boy?" The leader hissed.

"Ash. My name is Ash." Ash repeated.

"Good boy. Now you are going to tell us what you were working on with Riley." The leader said. "We know you were working on your aura, but what was your goal?"

Ash thought fast. "I want to become an Aura Guardian, like Sir Aaron."

"You think a little blind boy like you, who can't even prevent his own capture, could possibly become an Aura Guardian?" The leader teased. "What a fool you are."

"Riley believes in me." Ash said. "I don't need you to believe in me too."

The leader slammed him against the wall. "We'll have to spend some time working on your self-confidence, little Ash. It is way too high." He then threw the boy onto the floor. "We'll be back with a few mechanisms to help you out."

Ash gulped, knowing that the leader didn't mean that in a good way. He sat up after hearing the door to what was obviously a cell slam shut.

He decided to work on his sight again and got to work. It wasn't long before he could see the leader's form coming back with two others. One of the others walked to his side and snapped some sort of collar around his neck.

"Disobey again and that collar will cause a whole lot of pain on your end." The leader told him. "Now where were we? Ah yes. We want you to tell us everything you know about legendary pokemon. We'd like to capture a few."

"Like I would tell you!" Ash spat. "I would never tell a criminal what I know about… AHHH!" The collar had come to life, administering an electric shock much more powerful than his Pikachu's. Ash started breathing hard.

"Speak." The leader said. "Unless you want me to press the button again."

"Okay okay!" Ash cried. "I know that almost nobody's ever seen a legendary pokemon and that there are many, like Palgia, Dialga, Giratina, Ho-oh, Latias, Latios, Zaptos, Articuno, Moltres, Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Celebi… the list goes on and on."

"And do you know where any of those pokemon are?" The leader asked.

"No." Ash said quickly, earning himself another electric shock. "Ahh! I don't! I really don't!"

By the time the questioning about various things was over, Ash had received about fifteen more electric shocks and was struggling to stay awake.

"That's enough for now, little Ash." The leader finally said. "Enjoy your sleep."

One last electric shock was administered and Ash collapsed, unconscious.


	8. The Deal

**Two nights later…**

Riley hurried to the warehouse. It was almost eight and he didn't want to risk being late.

Inside, the first impression he got was that it was empty, but that he heard a voice. "Are you alone?"

Riley nodded. "Yes. Do you have Ash?"

Some men emerged from the darkness. Ash was laying unconscious in the arms of one of them.

Riley clenched his fists. "What have you done to him?"

One of the men stepped forward, smiling a very spooky smile. "Rest assured, the boy is alive. We would not kill him. Enough about the boy. We are here to make a deal."

Riley gritted his teeth and called out Lucario. "Lucario, take Ash home and watch over him until I return. I have a few things I need to take care of."

Ash stirred a little when he was put into Lucario's arms, but didn't wake up.

Lucario left the building and headed towards Professor Oak's.

Riley turned to the man who had spoken to him before. "I'll join, but you must promise to never go after Ash again, no matter what."

"Disobey any three commands in a row and we'll hunt him down." The man said. Riley gritted his teeth again. "Obey everything we say and we will go nowhere near him."

Riley growled. "Do you promise you will not touch him?"

The man smirked. "Yes, we promise."

Riley nodded slowly. "Then deal."

**Meanwhile…**

Professor Oak looked up when he heard Lucario. To say he was shocked to see Ash unconscious in the pokemon's arms would be an understatement.

"Cario!" Lucario growled. "Lucario!"

Professor Oak shook his head to snap himself out of it and ran to call an ambulance, which arrived about five minutes later. Then, he and Lucario accompanied Ash to the hospital.


	9. Waking up

Ash moaned and turned on his Aura Sight. Lucario, Professor Oak, Delia, and Pikachu were near him. Lucario was wide awake, while Professor Oak, Delia, and Pikachu were fast asleep.

"Cario." Lucario said.

"Lucario, how did I get here?" Ash asked weakly.

"Cario." Lucario answered. "Lucario."

"I… can't understand you." Ash whispered, closing his eyes.

"Pi… Pikapi!" Pikachu was happy to wake up to see Ash awake.

"Hello, Pikachu." Ash said. "I'm happy you're here."

Pikachu rubbed his cheek against Ash's and sighed contently. "Pikapi…"

Ash smiled, then, he frowned. "Pikachu, where's Riley? I have to tell him something."

"Pika…" Pikachu's ears drooped. He'd been afraid of this.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Did something happen to Riley?"

"Pika…" Pikachu confirmed.

"But his Lucario's here. Does that mean he just hasn't come to visit me yet?" Ash was confused. Where was Riley? Why wasn't he with his Lucario?

Lucario touched Ash lightly and used aura to show him what had happened with Riley and the kidnappers.

When the vision was over, Ash was trembling. "I don't understand. What would the kidnappers want with Riley?"

"Cario." By the sound of it, Lucario didn't know either.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to find out, right?" Ash said.

Lucario and Pikachu agreed.

**Sorry that both this chapter and the last were a little short. That's why I posted them together. Won't be able to update much over the next couple of weeks. Sorry.**


	10. Attacked

**Several Months Later…**

"Come on, Ash!" Iris called. "Hurry up!"

"Cut him some slack, Iris! He's saving his Aura Sight for the gym battle!" Cilan responded, leading Ash by the wrist.

By now, Ash's friends had grown accustomed to Ash being able to see only sometimes and were willing to help him in any way possible. They still didn't know where he'd gotten a Lucario, but they didn't care as long as he was happy.

And Ash _was_ happy, but not completely. Every time he felt Lucario at his side, he worried about Riley and what might have happened to him, which meant he worried about him a lot.

Iris and Cilan had noticed and asked about it several times, but had stopped when Ash had made it clear he didn't want to talk about it.

"What's going on over there?" Iris shouted.

"Huh? What's going on over where?" Ash asked, confused.

"There's a big crowd." Cilan explained. "Iris and I are going to check it out. Stay here." He let go of Ash's wrist and hurried to catch up with Iris.

"Sure. Just leave the blind boy alone. That's perfectly safe." Ash mumbled.

"Cario!" Lucario gasped.

"What's wrong, Lucario?" Ash asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Lucario!" Lucario pointed before remembering Ash couldn't see him. "Lucario Lucario!"

Ash got the picture. "Is Riley here?"

"Lucario!" Lucario nodded, forgetting again that Ash couldn't see him.

"Really? Where is he?" Ash asked excitedly.

Just then, they both heard what they thought they'd never hear, especially from Riley: the sound of an Aura Sphere hitting a person.

"Lu-Lucario… was that… Riley… who did that?" Ash asked trembling at the possibility.

The sound of tears running down Lucario's face was all he needed to confirm his statement as true.

"Lucario!" Just like that, Lucario left his post of protecting Ash and ran towards Riley.

"Ash!" Iris cried, running back to him with Cilan on her heels. "Come on! We've got to get out of here!"

"But…" Ash began.

"Don't tell me you want to stay! It's dangerous here!" Cilan yelped.

"I'm staying until Lucario comes back." Ash whispered. "He just ran off into the crowd."

Iris and Cilan spun around.

"He's trying to reason with the guy who was throwing those attacks." Cilan gasped.

Ash was silent. He heard another blast and realized reasoning would no longer work. Something had happened with Riley and he didn't like it at all.

"Let's go." He said, feeling Lucario come back. "We'll figure this out later, Lucario. The next time we're alone."

Iris and Cilan exchanged glances, confused, but went along with it.

**After Ash's gym battle…**

"Congratulations, Ash! You did it!" Iris cheered.

"Great job!" Cilan put in.

Ash smiled. "I couldn't have done it without my pokemon." His thoughts turned back to what had happened earlier. "I'm going for a walk, okay? I'll meet you back at the pokemon center."

"Um… okay…" Iris said uneasily. "Don't take too long."

"I won't." Ash promised and walked into the woods with Pikachu's guidance.

Once he was far away from Iris and Cilan, he sat down and beckoned to Lucario to sit as well.

"We need to talk about earlier." He said. "What happened back there? In all the time I've known Riley, he's never attacked anyone. It's against his nature."

"Lucario Cario." Lucario said sadly.

"Don't worry, Lucario. We'll find a way to get the old Riley back. Somehow…" Ash trailed off.

"Pika Pika Pika Pikachu." Pikachu said.

Ash smiled. "Pikachu's right! We _can_ do this! Riley has a reason and we're going to find out what that reason is!" His smile faltered. "Lucario… were those the people who kidnapped me?"

Lucario realized what he was getting at and that he might be right. "Lucario…"

"Oh no…" Ash whispered. He stood up quickly. "Lucario! I have to talk to Riley! Can you help me track him down?"

"We can arrange that." Ash froze at the sound of the somewhat familiar voice. "You see, your little teacher has disobeyed three orders in a row, which means the end of you. Since you want to talk to him so badly, we'll let you do it one last time before we kill you."

Ash was trembling now, knowing he was in trouble and that he was surrounded.

"Lucario!" Lucario scooped him and Pikachu up and jumped into the treetops. Bullets whizzed past them as they made their escape.

Ash gave a gasp of pain as one of the bullets hit his ankle. Lucario poured on the speed.

Fortunately, they made it back to the safety of the pokemon center. Unfortunately, Ash had fainted from blood loss by the time they got there.

Ignoring Iris and Cilan, who stood up when they came in, Lucario rushed Ash to Nurse Joy, who, noticing the boy's condition, quickly called two Audino to bring a stretcher and tried to calm the anxious Pikachu who was also in Lucario's arms.

The two Audino and Nurse Joy hastily brought Ash into the emergency room and turned on the light.


	11. Story Time

Riley approached the pokemon center, shrouded in nighttime darkness. In one hand, he clutched a note and a pokeball. The other hand he kept free for forming aura spheres.

At the wall of the pokemon center, he used his aura to sense which room Ash was in. He would have to go in that specific window if he wanted to have time to talk to Lucario and place the note and pokeball before he was kicked out.

Finding the correct window, he formed an aura sphere and broke in.

**Seconds later…**

Iris and Cilan were startled awake as the alarm in the pokemon center went off.

"Ash!" They both yelled together, remembering what had happened earlier. They raced towards the room he was in.

"Those… men… must've… come back… for… him…" Iris wheezed as she ran. "We… have… to… hurry…"

They arrived at the room and burst in to see a man who they recognized from the group they'd seen earlier that day leaning over Ash.

He turned towards them and sighed. "Guess I got caught sooner than I'd planned. I'm sorry. I was just making a delivery."

"What did you do to Ash?" Iris hissed.

"I assure you that I did not hurt your friend." The man said. "I'm telling you that…"

"FREEZE!" Officer Jenny entered the room behind Iris and Cilan, Nurse Joy right behind her. "Put your hands in the air, intruder!"

The man put his hands up. "Alright, Officer, you caught me. You can do what you want with me now."

Officer Jenny blinked in surprise. "That's it? You're just going to come willingly?"

"Yep. I have no reason to stay out of jail. I admit I've committed crimes and I'm not proud of them. I will gladly take whatever punishment you throw at me." The man said. "Now are we going or not? I don't want to be here when Ash wakes up."

Officer Jenny was confused at that statement, but handcuffed the man and led him out of the room.

To Iris and Cilan's relief, Ash opened his eyes a few minutes after they left.

"Ow… My ankle…" He moaned.

"Ash! Thank goodness you're okay! We've been so worried!" Cilan exclaimed.

Ash pulled something out of his pocket. It was a pokeball and a note.

"What's that, Ash?" Iris asked.

"I don't know." Ash admitted. "It wasn't there before. Cilan, can you read me what it says?"

Cilan took the note from Ash. "Of course. It says: '_Dear Ash, I know you one of your friends is probably reading this to you right now, so the first thing I'd like to say is that I'm sorry I broke in through the window. I didn't think I could get this to you by walking in the front door._'" Cilan paused. "So this is from the guy who broke into the pokemon center a few minutes ago? Interesting."

"You can tell me about that later. I want to hear what the rest of it says." Ash said impatiently.

"Okay, okay! Gees…" Cilan said. "'_And no, I did not drug him if you thought I did._' Stop laughing, Ash. We don't even know who this is from. '_On to the more important stuff, you probably want to know what I was doing with those men earlier. Yes, I sensed you in the crowd. I know what that means, so congratulations for reaching our goal. I'm sad I never got to see you do it._' Goal? What goal?"

"Can you stop it with the commentary please? I'll answer your questions later." Ash responded.

"Okay." Cilan agreed. "'_Back to the point, those men threatened to kill you if I didn't do what they said. I'm sorry it turned out like this. All I wanted to do was help you. If I hadn't tried to help, though, those men would never have come after you. Just so you know, I'm not leaving you by yourself. Lucario has promised to protect you. I ask that you keep him outside of his pokeball, which I gave you along with this letter, so that he can do so. That way, I can know you're being protected at all times. If you are challenged to a six on six battle, Lucario has also agreed to battle with you. If you have any aura problems, he's the one you should ask. Again, I am sorry it turned out like this. Make me proud. Riley._'" Cilan looked up from reading the letter. "So Lucario is this Riley fellow's pokemon? Who is Riley anyways?"

Ash smiled. "He's a friend. Let's just say… it's thanks to him I learned to see again."

Iris and Cilan exchanged glances.

"Ash, do you mind if I show this to Officer Jenny? Some of the charges might be dropped if she learns he was threatened." Cilan said.

Ash hesitated. "Well… I guess so. If it will help Riley."

"Officer Jenny might have some of the same questions we have. Let's ask Ash our questions first." Iris suggested.

Ash moaned. "Do you have to?"

"Yes. Now, tell us about Riley." Iris said.

Ash smiled again. "Well, it started with a disturbance on Iron Island, where Riley lived with his Lucario and steel-type pokemon. I was being myself, trying to stop a raging Aggron from hurting itself. Then, the Aggron suddenly turned and charged right at me! If it hadn't been for Riley showing up at that moment, I would have been badly hurt. After that, we worked together to stop Team Galactic, who was causing the disturbance, from destroying the island."

"So Riley is really a good person?" Iris asked.

Ash nodded. "Once we'd stopped Team Galactic from destroying Iron Island, he decided to work with Professor Carolina to learn more about the ruins Team Galactic had found and been using." Ash paused before continuing. "It was a few months after I'd been blinded when I met him again. He was making a delivery to Professor Oak from Professor Carolina and… I remembered something he'd told me back on Iron Island. I remembered he'd said he'd been studying to be an Aura Guardian."

"An Aura Guardian?!" Iris and Cilan gasped together.

Ash nodded again. "Yes. I thought maybe, since I had learned a while back that I could use aura too, he could help me. You know how Aura Guardians can see with aura? I thought it would be a solution to my problem and it was."

"In the letter, Riley said he never got to see you accomplish your goal. What did he mean by that?" Cilan questioned.

"He meant he never got to see me accomplish my goal. It was around then that he mysteriously disappeared." Ash said, leaning back against the pillows.

"Well, what happened? How did it come to that?" Iris demanded.

"I was walking home from Professor Oak's, from my training with Riley, when they ambushed me. I tried to get away, but I ran into a low tree branch." Ash told them. "They taunted me. It was around the time they were about to knock me out that I gained my Aura Sight."

"Knock you out? Are you saying they kidnapped you?" Iris asked. Ash nodded. "What happened next?"

"They beat me for a couple of days and then they knocked me out again. The next time I woke up, I was in the hospital. When I found out Riley wasn't there, I knew it hadn't been a dream." Ash sighed. "Now I know what happened that last time I was knocked out. Riley came for me. They made a deal on my life after Lucario took me home."

Iris and Cilan stared at him, hardly able to believe the story they'd just heard.

"So Riley saved your life?" Iris asked.

"Maybe. I don't know." Ash said.

"It sounds like he did. If he did all this for you, he obviously cares about you." Cilan pointed out.

"Yeah…" Ash said. "But now he's in jail because of me."

"It's not your fault he's in jail, Ash. It's the fault of those men that kidnapped and used you." Cilan assured him.

"I guess you're right… but still, I want to see him." Ash said. "Well… you know what I mean."

"You can't leave the pokemon center just yet, Ash." Iris said. "But we'll take you to talk to him as soon as you can."

Ash sighed again. "Okay, but I hope that's soon."

"It will be." Iris promised. "I'm going to stay with you for the rest of the night, okay? Cilan's going to take that note to Officer Jenny now, right Cilan?"

"Of course. I'll be back." Cilan said, leaving the room.

"You just get some rest, Ash. Nobody's going to hurt you while we're here." Iris said.

Ash nodded, soon falling asleep.

Iris just sighed, hoping nobody else would come after Ash that night.


	12. Unfinished Chapter Discontinued Story

**(A/n) This is an unfinished chapter. I keep hitting writer's block so I decided to give up this story. If you are NOT the person who kept bugging me to update using Guest reviews, you can take over this story; please PM me. If you ARE that person, I want to say that, whoever you are, you'd better be happy I updated at all. Once again, I say this is an unfinished chapter. You can take it or leave it. If you want to take over this story, please PM me. (A/n)**

**A week later…**

Ash wobbled into the visitor's room of the jail on his crutches. Iris and Cilan were on either side of him and Lucario behind him in case he fell. Pikachu had decided to take up Cilan's shoulder during Ash's recovery period because Ash couldn't support the extra weight.

They arrived at the desk and asked to speak to Riley.

A guard went to get him.

Riley smiled at his blind apprentice when he saw he was there to visit him. "Hello, Ash. Are you doing all right?"

Ash nodded. "Yes. Those men, whatever they were called, didn't come after me again. Thank Arceus."

"I told the police where all their bases were. They're probably on the run or setting up a new base. I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you. If they see an opening, they won't hesitate to use it." Riley said.

"Did they drop some of the charges?"

"Yes, everything except assault of police officers. I should be out in two or three weeks if I'm good."

"That's good. What are you going to do next?"

Riley hesitated. "I was hoping I could travel with you, Ash. Just in case they try to hurt you again."

Ash looked to where he knew Iris and Cilan were standing.

"It's up to you, Ash. We're fine with whatever you choose." Cilan said.

"Agreed." Iris said.

Ash turned back to Riley. "It's fine with me. I am kind of scared of those men… Team Eclipse, was it? ...anyways."

Riley was relieved he wasn't shot down. "Thanks. Does this mean you're going to wait for me to get out?"

Ash nodded again. "I was going to wait anyways. Besides, I can't really travel on crutches, especially with my disability. I'm stuck here for three or four more weeks anyhow."

"Does Professor Oak know what happened?" Riley asked.

"Not that I know of, but my Mom knows the toned-down version. She's worried about me. I managed to convince her to let me stay on my journey though." Ash replied

A security guard gently prodded Riley to get his attention. "You have sixty more seconds. Finish up."

"Stay safe, Ash. I've got to go." Riley said, standing up. "You two take care of him now, okay?"

"We will." Iris and Cilan replied.

The three kids left the jail while Riley was taken back to his cell.

Cilan spotted something metal out of the corner of his eye and shoved Ash to the ground just as a shot rang out. Cilan's eyes widened in pain as the bullet hit him in the shoulder blade.

"Cilan!" Iris cried.

"What happened? Is Cilan okay?" Ash asked from the ground.

Iris reminded herself he couldn't possibly have seen what happened and refrained from snapping at him for not knowing.

Guards from the jail surrounded the kids and captured the shooter.

One of the guards gently lifted Cilan up and nodded to Ash and Iris. "Follow me. We need to get him to a hospital."

Iris nodded and helped Ash to his feet. They hurried after the guard as fast as Ash was able to go on crutches and soon found themselves in a vehicle hold.

The guard placed Cilan in the backseat of a patrol car and motioned to Ash and Iris to get in as well.

Iris helped Ash in before getting in after him.

The guard quickly drove the patrol car to a conveniently nearby hospital and ran to get the doctors while Iris helped Ash out of the car.

"Iris, what's going on? Where are we? Was that a gunshot I heard?" Ash pounded Iris with questions. "Please tell me that wasn't a gunshot."

Iris fought to keep herself calm. The doctors arrived and lifted Cilan out of the car and onto a gurney. The connoisseur was pale, having lost a lot of blood.

Iris led Ash into the waiting room of the ER before finally answering his questions. "Someone tried to kill you, Ash. Cilan must've seen the gun and that's why he pushed you to the ground. H-he was hit in the shoulder."

"S-so it was a gunshot I heard?" Ash asked, trembling.

Iris nodded before remembering he couldn't see her. "Yes. Yes, it was."

"W-will he be okay?" Ash mumbled.

"I don't know, Ash. We just got to the hospital." Iris bit her lip. "I certainly hope so."

"Please be okay, Cilan. _Please_." Ash prayed.

Iris stared at her lap, praying for the same thing.

**Meanwhile…**

Riley started when he heard the gunshot. It was barely a minute after Ash and Co. had left the compound.

He quickly climbed up to his cell window. Through the bars, he could see the chaos resulting from the gunshot. The shooter was taken into the prison, but Riley didn't care what happened to the shooter as long as Ash and his friends were okay.

He saw the green-haired boy whom he'd never gotten the name of being lifted by a guard, while the purple-haired girl whom he'd also never gotten the name of helped Ash up.

He anxiously waited to find out something, _anything_, about what had happened.

But after hours of waiting, he realized no one was coming to tell him the details. Being a convict, even a temporary one, meant no information.

He would have to wait until he got out.

**Later…**

Ash and Iris sat in Cilan's hospital room, willing their friend to open his eyes. Cilan had yet to wake up although thoroughly treated for his injury. The bullet had had to be surgically removed as it was lodged in the bone. The bone would've been unable to properly heal should the bullet have _not_ been removed. Now, the boy's arm was in a sling with the shoulder thoroughly bandaged.

Cilan inhaled deeply and tenderly opened his eyes. Iris breathed a sigh of relief.

Ash looked at Cilan via aura and mumbled. "Thank Arceus."

"H-how long have I been out?" Cilan asked, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder.

"About eight hours." Iris said.

"You didn't inform my brothers, did you?" Cilan asked.

"Well, I was kind of scared of being yelled at and Ash can't exactly operate a phone anymore due to his disability..." Iris began.

"Good. If they knew, they wouldn't let me out of their sights for years." Cilan tried to sit up and yelped in pain.

"But I think the doctors might have told them." Iris finished. "Don't do that, you'll make it worse."

As if on cue, Chili and Cress ran into the room and said in unison. "Cilan, are you okay?!"

"I'll be fine." Cilan answered.

Iris and Ash watched (Ash using aura to do so) while Chili and Cress fussed over Cilan. The two helped their brother sit up and made sure he was perfectly comfortable, all while explaining how worried they'd been.


End file.
